Cisco Looks to Circularity for Supply Chain Sustainability

Technology company Cisco has successfully integrated circular economy principles into all its new products and packaging.

Reaching its 100% target for the 2025 fiscal year carries major supply chain implications, transforming how it manages materials, production and waste.

The achievement was recognised with a 2025 Reuters Global Sustainability Award for Circularity.

Cisco's initiative has been a multi-year effort focused on embedding circularity, a model where materials are kept in use for as long as possible through reuse, repair and recycling. This contrasts with a traditional linear 'take-make-dispose' system.

By rethinking product and packaging design from the outset, Cisco is creating a more resilient and efficient supply chain.

Integrating circularity

The foundation of Cisco’s strategy involved the company-wide adoption of 25 Circular Design Principles.

Realising this goal required extensive internal training, with more than 7,000 employees completing programmes to embed circularity into their workflows.

Mary de Wysocki, Cisco's Chief Sustainability Officer, explains the collaborative effort involved: "This moment represents years of partnership, creativity, and persistence across our teams.

"By designing with circularity in mind, we are not only reducing waste; we are extending product life, improving efficiency and security, and creating meaningful progress for our customers and communities."

To ensure compliance, a web-based Circular Design Evaluation Tool was established. This tool assesses every new product and packaging design against the principles and products must achieve a minimum score of 75% to be approved for release.

A governance structure composed of steering oversight and audit committees was also created to maintain accountability.

Material management and cost reduction

The practical benefits of this design-led approach are evident in specific changes to product lines and their corresponding supply chains.

For example, the redesign of the Webex Room Bar eliminated foam packaging and now uses 55% recycled plastic. According to Cisco, this change saves over 14,515kg (32,000 pounds) of material annually, reducing both raw material sourcing and logistical costs.

More substantial savings were generated from modifications to the Catalyst 9000 product line. By removing oil-based paint from these products, Cisco reported US$9m in cost reductions between 2020 and 2025.

This single change also cut approximately 318 tonnes of volatile organic compounds and about 3,400 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions from its production process over the same period.

Data-led supply chains

Underpinning the entire initiative is a Sustainability Data Foundation.

Cisco created this platform to consolidate and manage its sustainability data, allowing for detailed analysis of product carbon footprints and efficiency gains.

This data-driven approach provides transparent reporting on measurable outcomes through its Purpose Reporting Hub and annual Purpose Report.

Mary highlights the wider business case, noting that "circular design makes good business sense and helps us deliver even greater value to our customers, partners and suppliers". 

The emphasis on modularity and repairability extends product lifecycles which allows customers to upgrade and repair equipment rather than replace entire systems. This creates opportunities for reverse logistics and new service models within the supply chain.

Cisco shares its circular design framework with industry groups like the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Economic Forum.

Although the 100% integration target has been met, Mary sees the achievement as "just the beginning" with plans to evolve the principles based on experience.

Cisco continues to hold teardown events with engineers, marketers and supply chain partners to find new opportunities for innovation.